[MakoHaru] Anyway, We Should Date

Anyway We Should Date

"This has to be some kind of cosmic joke," Rin mutters, eyeing the scoreboard. Their fourth competition at this level -- Rin swimming for Australia, Haru for Japan -- and their scores are once again identical. Tied for fourth place this time.

"Maybe we should try teaming up for synchronised swimming," Haru suggests.

Rin rolls his eyes. "Har har har."

Haru notices his coach waving him over. "Anyway, I have to go. Come have dinner with us later?"

"Us?"

"Makoto's here too."

"So he finally asked you out, huh? About time."

Haru blinks. "What are you talking about? Makoto's the apprentice coach for the juniors."

Rin turns bright red. "Huh? What? Makoto? Oh, sorry; I was just, er, talking to myself about, um, n-not Makoto. Well, have fun! Gotta go!"

Haru never thought Rin was the sort to get so involved in his own thoughts that he loses track of a conversation and starts talking to himself. Then again, back in high school he never thought he'd choose competitive swimming for a career, yet here he stands. Sometimes it's better to float along with the world than try to swim in it.

-

He's almost through the hotel room door when he realises Rin never said if he'd join them for dinner or not. Makoto's sitting crosslegged on his bed, his eyebrows knitted as he types something on his smartphone using his index finger.

"Hey," Haru says.

Makoto's head snaps up, his eyes wide and panicky. His phone falls out of his hands, and he spends about twenty seconds trying to catch it. Which is weird, because Makoto's hands are so huge, you'd think he could catch a measly little phone without even trying. Finally, Makoto manages to grab the phone and promptly hides it behind his back.

"What are you doing?" Haru asks as he walks over to the wardrobe.

"N-nothing," Makoto says, sheepishly setting the phone down beside him. "Just texting with Rin."

"I was talking to him earlier," Haru says, opening the wardrobe to hang his team jacket. "He said the weirdest thing." He closes the wardrobe door and turns to Makoto. "Can you imagine--?"

Makoto's bed is empty.

"...Makoto?"

"Bathroom!" yells Makoto from behind the bathroom door. A few minutes later, the toilet flushes, and then Makoto spends a really long time washing his hands. Haru becomes distracted by the dazzling neon signs outside their hotel window and forgets his earlier train of thought.

"Have you decided where you want to eat?" Makoto asks, coming out of the bathroom with a huge smile on his face. "I'm starving."

-

They settle on a place that boasts a hundred different varieties of seasoned chicken wings. It's close to the hotel, and chicken sounds safe enough for Haru, who's never developed a taste for foreign food.

"Oh yeah," Haru says as their waiter sets down their orders -- pretty woven baskets lined with wax paper and filled with deep-fried everything: wings, potatoes, onion rings. "I was telling you earlier and then I forgot; Rin said the weirdest thing, something about you asking me out?"

"Ahahaha," Makoto says. It's obviously not laughter, but it seems like Makoto means for it to be, so Haru decides not to say anything. Everyone has an off day every once in a while.

"I mean, if you felt that way, you would have told me already," Haru says. "Rin should know that."

"Ehehehe," Makoto says. He stuffs an entire chicken wing into his mouth, bones and all.